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Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur

:For the municipality in the Philippines, see General MacArthur, Eastern Samar. General MacArthur, Eastern Samar Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 — 5 April 1964) was an American military leader credited by some with defeating the Japanese in World War II. He helped rebuild Japan after the war and played a key role in limiting the Communist takeover of Korea with his daring Inchon landing. A controversial figure, he was dismissed by President Truman but returned to the largest tickertape parade ever. He served in the U.S. Army most of his life, taking part in three major wars (World War I, World War II, Korean War) and rising to the rank of General of the Army, one of only five people to hold that rank in U.S. history. President Manuel L. Quezon of the Philippines also made him a Field Marshal in 1937, the only American to ever hold such a rank, which he held until his death. One of the most decorated soldiers in the history of the United States military, MacArthur became famous for both losing and retaking the Philippines during World War II. He was appointed Supreme Allied Commander in the South West Pacific Area and led a series of military victories by Allied forces in the theatre. After Imperial Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, MacArthur became the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, rebuilding Japan during the Allied occupation. At the end of the war however, he secretly granted immunity to the physicians of Unit 731 in exchange for providing America with their research on biological weapons. During the Korean War, MacArthur was removed from command for insubordination to U.S. President Harry S. Truman, causing a national controversy. MacArthur remains one of the most controversial figures in American history. While greatly admired by many for his strategic and tactical brilliance, MacArthur is also criticized by many for his actions in command, such as his role in putting down the Bonus Army, his command in the Philippines and New Guinea, and his challenge to Truman during the Cold War. MacArthur was also criticized for his egotistical attitude. Shortly before he died, he was given the nickname "Gaijin Shogun" ("foreign military leader") a title which former Honor Guard and author David Valley believed that MacArthur would have appreciated.

Early life and education

MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on the northwest upper floor of The Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal. His parents were Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur, a recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, who was the son of jurist and politician Arthur MacArthur, Sr., and Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur of Norfolk, Virginia. In 1883, when he was three years old, his other brother, Malcolm, died (his older brother Arthur would later attend the U.S. Naval Academy and die in 1923 as a Captain.) MacArthur spent much of his childhood playing in remote parts of New Mexico such as Fort Selden, where his father commanded an infantry company. In his memoir Reminiscences, MacArthur wrote that his first memory was the sound of a bugle. When MacArthur was six years old, his father was reassigned to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Three years later, the MacArthur family moved to Washington, D.C. when Douglas's father took a post at the War Department. There he spent time with his paternal grandfather, Judge Arthur MacArthur, a member of the high-profile Washington political culture that had enormous influence on Douglas. MacArthur's father was posted to San Antonio, Texas in 1893. There, Douglas attended the T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas, where he became an excellent student. MacArthur entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1898. An outstanding cadet, he graduated as valedictorian of his 93-man class in 1903, with only two other students in the history of West Point surpassing his achievements. MacArthur became a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he was a leader in combat engineering.

World War I

During World War I MacArthur served in France, with the 42nd Division. Upon his promotion to Brigadier General (the youngest ever in the Army) he became the commander of the 84th Infantry Brigade.

Inter-war years

In 1929 MacArthur met Isabel Rosario Cooper, a sixteen-year old Filipina actress, whom he later took with him to Washington. He later would spend most of the inter-war period on different assignments in the Philippines. In 1932, while in Washington, D.C. he commanded the troops used to disperse the Bonus Army of First World War veterans who were in the capital protesting against the government's failure to give them benefits. He was accused of using excessive force against a peaceful protest. Prior to the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the man widely expected to become the first popularly-elected President of the Philippines was Manuel L. Quezon. He asked MacArthur to supervise the creation of a Philippine Army preparatory to independence. MacArthur accepted and was present at the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Legislation approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt permitted active duty American officers to serve as military advisors overseas, and MacArthur took up residence in the Manila Hotel. Among MacArthur's assistants as Military Advisor to the Commonwealth of the Philippines was Dwight D. Eisenhower. When MacArthur retired from the U.S. Army in 1937, he was made a Field Marshal of the Philippine Army, by President Quezon but returned in July 1941 as commander of United States Army Forces Far East (USAFFE), based in Manila when he was recalled to active duty for fear of impending war with Japan.

World War II

Manila After the United States entered World War II, MacArthur became Allied commander in the Philippines. He courted controversy on several occasions, especially when he overruled his air commander, General Lewis H. Brereton, who had requested permission to launch air attacks against Japanese bases on nearby Taiwan. Consequently much of the US Far East Air Force was destroyed on the ground in the Philippines, the prelude to a Japanese invasion. His headquarters during the period of defeat in the Philippines was in the island fortress of Corregidor, while his making only one trip to the front lines in Bataan led to the disparaging moniker and ditty, "Dugout Doug." In March 1942, as Japanese forces tightened their grip on the Philippines, MacArthur was ordered by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to relocate to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. With a select group of advisers and subordinate military commanders, MacArthur fled the Phillipines, arriving at Batchelor Airfield in Australia's Northern Territory on the 17th March and taking The Ghan railway through the Australian outback to Adelaide, South Australia. His famous speech, in which he said "I came out of Bataan and I shall return", was made at Terowie, South Australia on March 20. During this period President Manuel L. Quezon decorated him with the Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star. MacArthur became Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) and took command of Australian, US, Dutch and other Allied forces defending Australia, fighting mainly in and around New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies. On 20th July 1942 SWPA headquarters was moved to what is now the MacArthur Central building in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, where he stayed from 1942 to 1944. Australian and American forces under MacArthur's command eventually achieved success, overrunning Japanese resistance in 1943 and 1944. 1944 MacArthur's handling of the Australian forces under his command during this time has been the subject of much criticism, both by his contemporaries and subsequent historians. During 1942, MacArthur controlled more Australian than US forces. However, it has been claimed that he decreed that all Australian victories would be reported as "Allied victories", while American victories would be reported as American. It is also a widely-held view that, from mid-1943 onwards. MacArthur confined the Australian Army divisions under his command to tough and largely irrelevant actions, while reserving the more prestigious actions for his own nation's troops. As a result, there is an enduring antipathy towards MacArthur in Australia, especially concerning his attitude towards the Kokoda Track Campaign which he thought irrelevant. American forces under MacArthur's command took back the Philippines on October 20th 1944, fulfilling MacArthur's vow to return to the Philippines and consolidating their hold on the archipelago after heavy fighting. In September 1945 MacArthur received the formal Japanese surrender which ended World War II. He was awarded and received the Medal of Honor for his leadership in the Southwest Pacific Theater. Philippine President Sergio Osmeña also decorated him with the Philippines' highest military award, the Medal of Valor.

Post-World War II

After World War II, MacArthur served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP). His first responsibility was overseeing the reconstruction in Japan. Though it was officially an effort of the Allies, the US was firmly in control, and MacArthur was effectively the dictator of Japan during this period. In 1946, MacArthur's staff created the constitution that is in use in Japan to this day. MacArthur handed over power to the newly-formed Japanese government in 1949, and remained in Japan until relieved by President Truman on April 11, 1951. Truman replaced SCAP leader MacArthur with General Ridgway of the Armed Forces. 1951] After the surprise attack of the North Korean army in June 1950 started the Korean War, the United Nations General Assembly authorized a United Nations (UN) force to help South Korea. MacArthur led the UN coalition counter-offensive, noted for an amphibious landing behind North Korean lines in the Battle of Inchon. As his forces approached the Korea-China border, the Chinese warned they would become involved. During his trip to Wake Island to meet with President Truman, MacArthur was specifically asked by President Truman about Chinese involvement in the war. MacArthur was dismissive. On October 25, 1950, the People's Liberation Army attacked across the Yalu River, forcing the U.N forces to embark on a lengthy retreat. MacArthur sought an armed retaliation into Chinese territory, but President Truman refused. Later declassified documents indicate that MacArthur wanted to use perhaps up to 50 nuclear weapons on China. Truman feared that a nuclear strike might have drawn the Soviet Union into the war. If the Soviets would not have retaliated, the strikes would have greatly increased Chinese deaths and decreased American deaths. After heated arguments between the two men, Truman relieved MacArthur of his duty on April 11, 1951. General Matthew B. Ridgway replaced MacArthur and stabilized the situation near the 38th parallel.

Post-dismissal

MacArthur returned to Washington (his first time in the continental US in 11 years), where he made his last public appearance in a farewell address to the U.S. Congress, interrupted by thirty ovations. In his closing speech, he mused: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." On his return from Korea, after his relief by Truman, MacArthur encountered massive public adulation, which aroused expectations that he would run for the US presidency as a Republican in 1952. However, a Senate Committee investigation of his removal, chaired by Richard Russell, contributed to a marked cooling of the public mood and his presidential hopes died away. In the 1952 Republican presidential nomination contest, rumors were rife that Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio offered the vice presidential nomination to MacArthur. Had a Taft-MacArthur ticket defeated Democrat Adlai Stevenson in November, the general would have become President upon Taft's sudden death eight months later in July 1953. Taft, who was initially favored to win the GOP nomination, lost the nomination to Dwight Eisenhower MacArthur spent the remainder of his life quietly in New York, except for a spectacular "sentimental journey" to the Philippines in 1961, when he was decorated by President Carlos P. Garcia with the Philippine Legion of Honor, rank of Chief Commander. During one of his visits, the Pan-Philippine Highway was renamed to MacArthur Highway in his honor. President John F. Kennedy solicited MacArthur's counsel in 1961. The first of two meetings was shortly after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. According to White House staffer Kenneth P. O'Donnell, MacArthur was extremely critical of the Pentagon and its military advice to Kennedy. MacArthur also cautioned the young President to avoid a U.S. military build-up in Vietnam, pointing out that domestic problems should be given a much greater priority. Kennedy was said to have come out of the more than three-hour meeting stunned and enormously impressed. MacArthur and his second wife, Jean Faircloth, are buried together in downtown Norfolk, Virginia; their burial site is in a small museum dedicated to his memory, and there is a major shopping mall named for him across the street from the burial site. The couple's son changed his surname and now lives anonymously as a saxophonist in the New York area. MacArthur's nephew, Douglas MacArthur II, served as a diplomat for several years.

Summary of Service

West Point


- June 13, 1899 – appointed as a Cadet at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
- 1900: Is the victim of hazing and becomes involved in a serious scandal where one Cadet is left dead by upperclassman abuse. Maintains his honor, and does not appear as a "snitch", by only naming cadets who hazed him who were already expelled from West Point or had previously confessed
- June 11, 1903 – Graduates first in his class, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers

Early Career


- June 1903: Serves with the 3rd Battalion of Engineers in the Philippine Islands.
- 1904: Assigned to the California Debris Commission.
- April 1904: Promoted to First Lieutenant, becomes acting Chief Engineering Officer for the Army Pacific Division based in San Francisco, California
- October 1904: Reports to Tokyo, Japan to serves as an aide to his father (Major General Arthur MacArthur) in the Far East
- December 1906: Serves as aide-de-camp to President Theodore Roosevelt
- August 1907: Attends the "Engineering School of Application" in Washington, DC
- February 1908: Assigned as the Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Improvements Commission, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- April 1908: Appointed as Commanding Officer, Company K, 3rd Battalion of Engineers. Later that year becomes an instructor at the Mounted Service School, Fort Riley, Kansas
- April 1909: Becomes Quartermaster for the 3rd Battalion of Engineers
- February 1911: Promoted to Captain and serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the Engineering Depot at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
- November 1912: Assigned to the General Staff Corps, Washington DC, for duty as a Member and Recorder of the Board of Engineering Troops
- April 1913: Appointed as Superintendent of State, War, and Navy Buildings as a member of the General Staff
- April 1914: Becomes the Assistant Engineering Officer of the military expedition to Veracruz, Mexico
- December 1915: Promoted to Major, serves as an Engineering Officer on the Army General Staff
- August 1917: Advanced to the temporary rank of Colonel in the National Army. Reports to Camp Mill, Long Island, New York to begin forming the 42nd Infantry Division.

World War I


- 1917 - 1918: Becomes Chief of Staff of the 42nd Infantry Division and is credited with naming it the "Rainbow Division". Joins the American Expeditionary Force bound for France
- June 1918: Appointed a Brigadier General in the National Army and serves as Divisional Chief of Staff, 84th Infantry Brigade, and is later appointed as the Divisional Commander
- 1918 - 1919: Cited for extreme battlefield bravery and also is wounded in combat and gassed by the enemy. Was known for personally leading troops into battle, often without a weapon of his own. Begins to develop a negative relationship with General of the Armies John Pershing, after feeling that Pershing is wasting the lives of his troops with bad military tactics.
- May 1919: Returns the United States a hero, but is distraught over the lack of recognition his Rainbow Division receives for actions in France.

Inter-war Years


- June 1919: Becomes the Superintendent of the US Military Academy, West Point
- February 1920: Reverts to peacetime rank, but is one of the few officers who does not lose his World War I position. Becomes a brigadier general in the Regular Army. Receives a negative evalution report from Pershing, now Chief of Staff, who ranks Macarthur 38 out of 45 generals and states that MacArthur has an "exalted view of himself and should remain in his present grade for several years".
- October 1922: Becomes Commanding General, District of Manila, in the Philippines
- July 1923: While still serving as District of Manila Commander, also becomes Commanding of the 23rd Infantry Brigade
- January 1925: Promoted to Major General, becoming the youngest two-star general in the U.S. Army. Returns to the United States to become a Corps Commander
- May 1925: Assigned as IVth Area Corps Commander, U.S. Army, encompassing areas of Atlanta and Georgia
- 1926 - 1927: Serves as 3rd Corps Commander, based in Baltimore, Maryland
- 1928: Leads the US Olympic Team to Amsterdam and is then assigned as the Commanding General, Philippine Department, based in Manila.
- October 1930: Becomes the commander of the Ninth Corps Area based in San Franciso, California
- November 21, 1930: Appointed as a full General and becomes Chief of Staff of the United States Army
- June 1932: Presides over the destruction of the "Bonus Army", deemed a low point of his tenure as Army Chief of Staff
- October 1935: Completes his tour as Chief of Staff and declines retirement from the Army. Per Army regulations, reverts to his permanent rank of Major General and becomes the Chief Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines
- December 31, 1937: Decides to retire from the United States Army. Is advanced back to the rank of General for listing on the U.S. Army retired rolls
- 1937 - 1941: Civilian advisor to the Philippine Government on military matters. Is appointed a Field Marshal in the Philippine Army, the only American officer in history accorded with that rank. Begins wearing the cap which is so often associated with him, that being a Field Marshal cover with U.S. Army crest
- April 1937 - marries Jean Faircloth
- February 21, 1938 - Arthur MacArthur IV is born

World War II


- July 26, 1941: Recalled to active service in the United States Army as a Major General
- July 27, 1941: Appointed a Lieutenant General in the Army of the United States and becomes Commanding General of USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East)
- December 1941: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, is promoted to General in the Army of the United States and ordered to defend the Philippine islands from a Japanese invasion
- February 22, 1942: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt orders MacArthur out of the Philippines as the American defense of the nation collapses. Upon leaving MacArthur says, "I shall return."
- 1942 - 1943: Begins the conquest of New Guinea and is generally credited with halting an invasion of Australia by Japanese forces
- 1943 - 1944: Begins a series of arguments with the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding a return to the Philippine Islands. The majority of the Joint Chiefs want to bypass the Philippines and take Formosa. MacArthur makes a personal appeal to President Roosevelt that, should the Philippines be bypassed, he would publically denounce the war effort as betraying captured U.S. soldiers and leaving a large enemy flank to the rear of U.S. forces attacking the Japanese home islands.
- December 1944: Becomes a General of the Army and is ranked the second highest ranking officer of the U.S. Army, second only to George Marshall
- 1944 - 1945: Due to logistics issues the Joint Chiefs decided to invade the Philippine Islands. MacArthur again must fight to convince his superiors to invade the entire Philippine Islands, whereas initial plans call for only an invasion of the south. The Joint Chiefs at last agreed that MacArthur is to invade the Philippine Islands at Leyte Gulf and strike towards Manila.
- February 5, 1945: MacArthur fulfills his promise to return and liberates Manila
- August 1945: Is considered for promotion to Five Star General (General of the Armies) to lead to massive invasion force which will attack Japan in 1946. Is stunned when the atomic bomb ends the war abruptly, quoted that "this apparatus will make men like me obsolete". MacArthur knew nothing of the bombs development, however Eisenhower did.
- September, 1945: Presides over the surrender of Japan and becomes military governor of Japanese home islands. Threatens the Soviet Union with armed conflict should Red Army soldiers attempt to occupy any part of Japan.

Occupation of Japan


- December 15, 1945 - Orders the end of Shinto as the state religion of Japan
- 1945 - 1948: Begins sweeping reforms, drafts a new constitution for Japan, and puts an end to centuries of Emperor god-worship
- 1948 - 1950: Becomes second man in Japan to a new Ambassador-Extraordinary, appointed by President Harry Truman. Attempts to run for President in 1948 but withdraws his candidacy after the news media states that MacArthur would be disloyal to his Commander-in-Chief if he ran against Harry Truman.

Korean War


- July 8, 1950: Following the invasion of North Korea into South Korea, MacArthur is named Commander of all United Nations forces in Korea.
- July 31, 1950: Travels to Taiwan and conducts diplomacy with Chiang Kai-Shek
- September 15 1950: Leads UN forces at the Battle of Inchon, seen as one of the greatest military maneuvers in history
- October 15 1950: Meets with President Truman on Wake Island after heavy disagreements develop regarding the conduct of the Korean War. When meeting Truman, it is very noticeable that MacArthur does not salute his Commander-in-Chief but rather offers a handshake
- November - December 1950: Advocates for full scale war with China upon that nation's entry into the Korean War. Is outraged when military leaders in Washington restrict the war to only the Korean theater.
- April 11, 1951: After he publicly criticizes White House policy in Korea, Harry Truman removes MacArthur from command and orders him to return to the United States
- April 19, 1951: At a farewell address before Congress, MacArthur gives the famous Old Soldiers Never Die speech
- May 1951: Retires a second time from the U.S. Army, but is listed as permanently active duty due to the regulations regarding those who hold Five Star General rank. For adminsitrative reasons, is assigned in absentee to the Office of the Army Chief of Staff

Later life


- 1951 - 1952: Loses a great deal of public support after Senate hearings investigate into why MacArthur was relieved and it is revealed MacArthur had advocated a full scale war with China and, if necessary, nuclear war with the Soviet Union as an escalation of the Korean conflict.
- 1952: Runs for President on the Republican platform. Loses badly in the Wisconsin Primary and withdraws from the Presidential race. Is distraught when his former aide, Dwight Eisenhower secures the Republican nomination and later becomes President of the United States
- January 1955: Is nominated by the United States Congress for promotion to General of the Armies. Declines the promotion as it would have meant a loss of retirement pay and benefits associated with being a Five Star General.
- May 12 1962 - Gives famous Duty, Honor, Country valedictory speech at West Point
- April 5 1964: Douglas MacArthur dies at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Dates of rank


- Second Lieutenant, United States Army: June 11, 1903
- First Lieutenant, United States Army: April 23, 1904
- Captain, United States Army: February 27, 1911
- Major, United States Army: December 11, 1915
- Colonel, National Army: August 5, 1917
- Brigadier General, National Army: June 26, 1918
- Brigadier General rank made permanent in the Regular Army: January 20, 1920
- Major General, Regular Army: January 17, 1925
- General for temporary service as Army Chief of Staff: November 21, 1930
- Reverted to permanent rank of Major General, Regular Army: October 1, 1935
- Retired in grade as a General on Regular Army rolls: December 31, 1937
- Recalled to active service as a Major General in the Regular Army: July 26, 1941
- Lieutenant General in the Army of the United States: July 27, 1941
- General, Army of the United States: December 18, 1941
- General of the Army, Army of the United States: December 18, 1944
- General of the Army rank made permanent in the Regular Army: March 23, 1946 In 1955, a bill passed by the United States Congress authorized the President of the United States to promote Douglas MacArthur to the rank of General of the Armies (a similar measure had also been proposed unsuccesfully in 1945). However, due to regulations involving retirement pay and benefits, as well as MacArthur being junior to George C. Marshall (who had not been recommended for the same promotion), MacArthur declined promotion to what many view would have been seen as a Six Star General.

Awards and decorations

During his military career, General MacArthur was awarded the following decorations from both the United States and other allied nations. The awards listed below are those which would have been worn on a military uniform and do not include commemorative medals, unofficial decorations, and non-portable awards.

United States

United States
- Medal of Honor
- Distinguished Service Cross with one oak leaf cluster
- Army Distinguished Service Medal
- Navy Distinguished Service Medal
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Silver Star with one silver oak leaf cluster
- Bronze Star Medal with Valor device
- Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster
- Presidential Unit Citation with 1 silver and 1 bronze oak leaf cluster
- Air Medal
- Mexican Service Medal
- World War I Victory Medal with five battle clasps
- Army of Occupation of Germany Medal
- American Defense Service Medal with “Foreign Service” clasp
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two silver service stars and arrowhead device
- World War II Victory Medal
- Army of Occupation Medal with “Japan”clasp
- National Defense Service Medal
- Korean Service Medal with three bronze service stars and arrowhead device
- United Nations Service Medal
- Command Aviator Badge
- Combat Infantryman Badge
- Army General Staff Identification Badge
- Fourteen Overseas Service Bars
- Expert Badge with Rifle and Pistol bars

Foreign awards


- Knight Grand Cross of the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
- French Légion d'honneur
- French Croix de Guerre
- French Medaille Militaire
- Australian Pacific Star
- Philippine Medal of Valor
- Philippine Distinguished Service Cross
- Philippine Legion of Honor
- Philippine Defense Medal with one service star
- Philippine Liberation Medal with four service stars
- Republic of the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation
- Philippine Independence Medal
- Order of the Belgium Crown
- Belgian Croix de Guerre
- Belgian Order of the Cross
- Czechoslovakian Order of the White Lion
- Polish Virtuti Militari
- Polish Grand Cross of Polonia Restituta
- Grand Cross Netherlands Order of Orange-Nassau
- Yugoslavian Order of the White Eagle
- Japanese Order of the Rising Sun
- Republic of Korean Presidential Unit Citation
- Korean War Service Medal
- Korean Grand Cross of the Order of Military Valour and Merit
- Italian Grand Cross of the Military Order
- Italian War Cross
- Cuban Grand Cross of Military Merit
- Ecuadorian Grand Cross Order of Abdon Calderon
- Chinese Cordon of Pau Ting
- Greek Medal of Honor
- Guatemalan Cross of Military Merit
- Hungarian Grand Cross of Military Merit
- Order of Mexican Military Merit
- Grand Cross Order of Romanian Military Merit

Trivia


- MacArthur Park located in western Los Angeles, California is named after General MacArthur. The park was also the basis of the song of the same name written by Jimmy Webb.
- MacArthur had no middle name, though some internet sources variously ascribe him a middle initial of "A", "B", "C", "D", "M", or "S". An archivist at the MacArthur Memorial asserts that MacArthur did wear a monogrammed handkerchief with a middle initial of "A", possibly chosen to indicate his father, but the general had no official middle name.
- Arthur and Douglas MacArthur were the first father and son to each be awarded a Medal of Honor. They remained the only pair until 2001 when Theodore Roosevelt was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service during the Spanish American War. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. had won one for his service during World War II.
- While MacArthur was famous for smoking a corn cob pipe, in private he actually preferred cigars.
- MacArthur was considered a very good bridge player, and played often during his years in Australia.
- There are two bridges and one road named after MacArthur in Taiwan, becoming one of the only three foreigners (to Taiwan) who has somewhere named after them. (The other two are Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and George Leslie Mackay) The road is located in Taipei, although it is renamed now. The two bridges remain fully functional to this day.

References


- United States Army service record of Douglas MacArthur, National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri

Headline text


- General MacArthur: Letters from the Japanese During the American Occupation. Rowman & Littlefield: 2001. ISBN 0742511154.
- Green, Michael. Macarthur in the Pacific: From the Philippines to the Fall of Japan. Motorbooks International: 1996. ISBN 0760302022.
- Gunther, John. The Riddle of MacArthur. Greenwood Press: 1975. ISBN 0837177014.
- Leary, William M. MacArthur and the American Century: A Reader. University of Nebraska Press: 2001. ISBN 0803229305.
- MacArthur, Douglas. Reminiscences. United States Naval Institute: 2001. ISBN 1557504830.
- Manchester, William. American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964. Laurel: 1983. ISBN 0440304245.
- Perret, Geoffrey. Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life and Legend of Douglas MacArthur. Random House: 1996. ISBN 0679428828.
- Rovere, Richard H., and Arthur Schlesinger. General MacArthur and President Truman: The Struggle for Control of American Foreign Policy. Transaction Publishers: 1992. ISBN 1560006099.
- Schaller, Michael. Douglas MacArthur: The Far Eastern General. Replica Books: 2001. ISBN 0735103542.
- Stephenson, Neal. Cryptonomicon. A novel in which MacArthur appears as a prominent character.
- Taaffe, Stephen. Macarthur's Jungle War: The 1944 New Guinea Campaign. University Press of Kansas: 1998. ISBN 0700608702.
- Valley, David J. Gaijin Shogun: General Douglas MacArthur, Stepfather of Postwar Japan. Sektor Company: 2000. ISBN 0967817528.
- Weintraub, Stanley. MacArthur's War: Korea and the Undoing of an American Hero. Free Press: 2000. ISBN 0684834197.

External links


- [http://www.macarthurmemorial.org The MacArthur Memorial] - The MacArthur Memorial at Norfolk, Virginia
- [http://www.macarthurmuseumbrisbane.org/ MacArthur Museum Brisbane] - The MacArthur Museum at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/index.html MacArthur] - a site about MacArthur fromPBS. MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas Category:Field Marshals MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur, Douglas ko:더글러스 맥아더 ja:ダグラス・マッカーサー

General MacArthur, Eastern Samar

General Macarthur is a 5th class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 10,452 people in 1,953 households.

Barangays

General Macarthur is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.

- Alang-alang
- Binalay
- Calutan
- Camcuevas
- Domrog
- Limbujan
- Magsaysay
- Osmeña
- Pingan
- Poblacion Barangay 1
- Poblacion Barangay 2
- Poblacion Barangay 3
- Poblacion Barangay 4
- Poblacion Barangay 5
- Poblacion Barangay 6
- Poblacion Barangay 7
- Poblacion Barangay 8
- Laurel
- Roxas
- Quirino
- San Isidro
- San Roque
- Santa Cruz (Opong)
- Santa Fe
- Tugop
- Vigan
- Macapagal
- Aguinaldo
- Quezon
- Tandang Sora

External links


- [http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/default.asp Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
- [http://www.t-macs.com/kiso/local/ 2000 Philippine Census Information] Category:Municipalities of Eastern Samar

1880

1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar).

Events

May - August


- May 13 - In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
- June 29 - France annexes Tahiti
- July 1 - First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada.
- July 16 - First woman licensed to practice medicine in Canada - Dr. Emily Howard Stowe.

September - December


- September 5 - First successful test of an electric Tram in the world takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia
- October - terrible winter storm in North America, the "Blizzard of 1880".
- October 15 - Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.
- November - James Garfield defeats Winfield S. Hancock in the U.S. presidential election
- November 4 - the first cash register was patented by James and John Ritty of Dayton, Ohio.
- November 11 - Australian bushranger and bank robber Ned Kelly is hanged in Melbourne.
- November 22 - Vaudeville actress Lillian Russell makes her debut at Tony Pastor's Theatre in New York City.
- December 20 - Action at Bronkhorstspruit, the first major action of the First Boer War.
- December 30 - The Transvaal becomes a republic and Paul Kruger becomes its first president.

Unknown date


- Discovery of piezoelectricity by Pierre Curie and Jacques Curie.
- Completion of Cologne cathedral.
- Founding of Science by Thomas Edison.
- Cocaine isolated
- The British recognise Abdur Rahman Khan as amir of Afghanistan
- Capuchin catacombs of Palermo are officially closed (there will be some burials afterwards)
- Department of Scientific Temperance Instruction of the Women's Christian Temperance Union established.

Births


- January 1 - Vajiravudh, King of Thailand (d. 1925)
- January 6 - Tom Mix, American actor (d. 1940)
- January 17 - Mack Sennett, Canadian director and producer (d. 1960)
- January 26 - Douglas MacArthur, American general (d. 1964)
- January 28 - Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer (d. 1970)
- January 29 - W.C. Fields, American actor (d. 1946)
- February 5 - Gabriel Voisin, French aviation pioneer (d. 1973)
- February 8 - Franz Marc, German artist (d. 1916)
- February 12 - John L. Lewis, American labor union leader (d. 1969)
- February 21 - Waldemar Bonsels, German writer (d. 1952)
- February 22 - Frigyes Riesz, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1956)
- March 1 - Giles Lytton Strachey British writer and biographer (d. 1932)
- March 10 - Bronco Billy Anderson, American actor (d. 1971)
- March 11 - Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenicist (d. 1943)
- March 22 - Kuniaki Koiso, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1950)
- March 30 - Sean O'Casey, Irish writer (d. 1964)
- April 13 - Charles Christie, Canadian-born film studio owner (d. 1955)
- April 18 - Sam Crawford, Baseball Hall of Famer (d. 1968)
- May 6 - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter (d. 1938)
- May 14 - B.C. Forbes, Scottish-born financial publisher (d. 1954)
- May 25 - Jean Alexandre Barré, French neurologist (d. 1967)
- May 25 - Alf Common, English footballer (d. 1946)
- May 29 - Oswald Spengler, German philosopher (d. 1936)
- June 6 - W.T. Cosgrave, Irish politician (d. 1965)
- June 27 - Helen Keller, American spokeswoman for the deaf and blind (d. 1968)
- July 5 - Jan Kubelík, Czech violinist (d. 1940)
- July 24 - Ernest Bloch, Swiss-born composer (d. 1959)
- August 6 - Hans Moser, Austrian actor (d. 1964)
- August 8 - Earle Page, eleventh Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1961)
- August 10 - Robert L. Thornton, American businessman, philanthropist, and mayor of Dallas, Texas (d. 1964)
- August 22 - George Herriman, American cartoonist (d. 1944)
- August 26 - Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet (d. 1918)
- August 31 - Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (d. 1962)
- September 14 - Archie Hahn, American athlete (d. 1955)
- September 22 - Christabel Pankhurst, English suffragette (d. 1958)
- September 23 - John Boyd Orr, Scottish physician and biologist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1971)
- November 6 - Robert Musil, Austrian novelist (d. 1942)
- November 10 - Jacob Epstein, American-born sculptor (d. 1959)
- December 11 - Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer (d. 1951)
- December 31 - George Marshall, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1959)
- Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt, American equestrian (d. 1925)
- Joseph Trumpeldor, Russian Zionist (d. 1920)
- Gar Wood, American motorboat racer (d. 1971)

Unknown Birth Dates


- William J. Simmons - Founder of the second Ku Klux Klan]
- [[D. Leigh Colvin]] - American [[temperance movement leader and Prohibition Party candidate for presidency in 1936 (d ?)

Deaths


- January 8 - Joshua A. Norton, self-anointed Emperor Norton I of the United States of America (b. 1811)
- March 31 - Henryk Wieniawski, Polish composer (b. 1835)
- May 4 - Edward Clark, Confederate Governor of Texas (b. 1815)
- May 8 - Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
- July 7 - Lydia Child, American novelist and abolitionist (b. 1802)
- August 17 - Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist (b. 1810)
- October 4 - Jacques Offenbach, German-born composer (b. 1819)
- November 11 - Ned Kelly, Australian bush ranger (hanged)
- December 22 - George Eliot, English writer (b. 1819) Category:1880 ko:1880년 ms:1880 simple:1880 th:พ.ศ. 2423

5 April

April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). There are 270 days remaining.

Events


- 1242 - During a battle on the ice of Chudskoye Lake, Russian forces rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.
- 1614 - In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
- 1621 - The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth on a return trip to Great Britain.
- 1654 - The Treaty of Westminster, ending the First Anglo-Dutch War, is signed.
- 1690 - Patrizio Cardinal Ficca is eleceted pope and takes the name Patricius I
- 1792 - U.S. President George Washington vetos a bill designed to apportion representatives among U.S. states. This is the first time the presidential veto has been used in the United States.
- 1804 - The first recorded meteorite falls in Possil, Scotland (High Possil Meteorite).
- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Yorktown. The battle begins when Union forces under General George McClellan close in on the Confederate capital Richmond, Virginia.
- 1923 - Firestone Tire and Rubber Company starts production of balloon-tires.
- 1930 - In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi breaks British law after marching to the sea and making salt.
- 1936 - Tupelo-Gainesville Outbreak: A F5 tornado slams into the north side of Tupelo, Mississippi, killing 233. It is the 4th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
- 1942 - Second World War: Japanese Navy attacks Colombo in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Royal Navy Cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.
- 1945 - Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip "Tito" Broz signs an agreement with the USSR allowing "temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory."
- 1949 - Fireside Theatre debuts on television.
- 1949 - A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, United States, kills 77 people.
- 1951 - Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for performing espionage for the Soviet Union.
- 1955 - Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
- 1956 - In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna won the general elections in a lanslide and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike sworn in as the Prime Minister.
- 1957 - In India, Communists won the first elections in united Kerala and E. M. S. Namboodiripad sworn in as the first chief minister.
- 1969 - Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations are held in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the United States.
- 1971 - In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launches insurrection against the United Front government of Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
- 1972 - Vietnam War: North Vietnamese forces invade Binh Long Province, launching a second front of the Nguyen Hue Offensive.
- 1973 - Pierre Messmer becomes Prime Minister of France
- 1976 - In the People's Republic of China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen incident.
- 1986 - Bombing of the La Belle Discotheque in West Berlin, Germany, kills three.
- 1991 - ASA Embraer EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, United States, killing all 23 aboard.
- 1992 - Several hundred-thousand abortion rights demonstrators march in Washington, D.C.
- 1992 - Siege of Sarajevo begins when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protestor Suada Dilberovic on the Skenderija Bridge.
- 1993 - The Child Support Act 1991, administered by the Child Support Agency, comes into effect in the United Kingdom.
- 1998 - In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshu and costing about US$3.8 billion, opens to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.
- 1999 - Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 are handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.
- 1999 - In Laramie, Wyoming, United States, Russell Henderson pleads guilty to kidnapping and felony murder in order to avoid a possible death penalty conviction for the hate crime killing of Matthew Shepard.
- 2005 - ABC News anchor Peter Jennings announces on World News Tonight that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer. It would be his last on-air appearance.

Births


- 1288 - Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (d. 1336)
- 1472 - Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1510)
- 1479 - Guru Amar Das, third Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
- 1523 - Blaise de Vigenère, French diplomat and cryptographer (d. 1596)
- 1588 - Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher (d. 1679)
- 1604 - Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1675)
- 1622 - Vincenzo Viviani, Italian mathematician and scientist (d. 1703)
- 1649 - Elihu Yale, American benefactor of Yale University (d. 1721)
- 1692 - Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (d. 1730)
- 1732 - Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French artist (d. 1806)
- 1784 - Louis Spohr, German violinist and composer (d. 1859)
- 1816 - Samuel Freeman Miller, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1890)
- 1827 - Joseph Lister English surgeon (d. 1912)
- 1832 - Jules Ferry, French statesman (d. 1893)
- 1837 - Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet (d. 1909)
- 1856 - Booker T. Washington, American educator (d. 1915)
- 1871 - Mirko Seljan, Croatian explorer
- 1875 - Mistinguett, French vaudeville performer (d. 1956)
- 1893 - Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (d. 1973)
- 1900 - Spencer Tracy, American actor (d. 1967)
- 1901 - Melvyn Douglas, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1908 - Bette Davis, American actress (d. 1989)
- 1908 - Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor (d. 1989)
- 1908 - Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician (d.1986)
- 1909 - Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer (d. 1996)
- 1911 - Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (d. 1960)
- 1912 - John Le Mesurier, British actor (d. 1983)
- 1916 - Gregory Peck, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1917 - Robert Bloch, American author (d. 1994)
- 1920 - Arthur Hailey, American writer (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Rafique Zakaria, Indian author and legal expert (d. 2005)
- 1922 - Christopher Hewett, British actor (d. 2001)
- 1922 - Gale Storm, American singer and actress
- 1923 - Michael Gazzo, American actor (d. 1995)
- 1923 - Nguyen Van Thieu, President of South Vietnam (d. 2001)
- 1926 - Roger Corman, American film director, producer, and writer
- 1929 - Ivar Giaever, Norwegian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1929 - Nigel Hawthorne, British actor (d. 2001)
- 1929 - Hugo Claus, Belgian writer
- 1931 - Boris Strugatsky, Russian author (d. 1991)
- 1933 - Larry Felser, American sports columnist and writer
- 1934 - Frank Gorshin, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1934 - Roman Herzog, German politician
- 1935 - Peter Grant, British rock manager, actor (Led Zeppelin,Bad Company) (d. 1995)
- 1937 - Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State (2000-2004)
- 1941 - Michael Moriarty, American actor and political activist
- 1942 - Peter Greenaway, Welsh film director
- 1943 - Max Gail, American actor
- 1945 - Tommy Smith, English footballer
- 1946 - Jane Asher, British actress, writer
- 1947 - Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 14th President of the Philippines
- 1949 - Judith Resnik, astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1950 - Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA)
- 1955 - Janice Long, English broadcaster
- 1961 - Lisa Zane, American actress
- 1962 - Lana Clarkson, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1965 - Mike McCready, American musician (Pearl Jam)
- 1973 - Pharrell Williams, American musician and producer (The Neptunes)
- 1976 - Fernando Morientes, Spanish footballer
- 1978 - Stephen Jackson, American basketball player
- 1978 - Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer

Deaths

1168 to 1899


- 1168 - Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (b. 1104)
- 1288 - Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (d. 1336)
- 1419 - Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1350)
- 1605 - Adam Loftus, English Catholic archbishop
- 1617 - Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer
- 1676 - John Winthrop, the Younger, Governor of Connecticut (b. 1606)
- 1693 - Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer (b. 1627)
- 1695 - George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, English writer and statesman (b. 1633)
- 1697 - King Charles XI of Sweden (b. 1655)
- 1717 - Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647)
- 1735 - William Derham, English minister and writer (b. 1657)
- 1735 - Samuel Wesley, English poet and religious leader (b. 1662)
- 1765 - Edward Young, English poet (b. 1683)
- 1794 - Georges Danton, French Revolutionary leader (b. 1759)

1900 to 1999


- 1923 - George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English financier of Egyptian excavations (b. 1866)
- 1928 - Roy Kilner, English cricketer (b. 1890)
- 1964 - General Douglas MacArthur, U.S. general (b. 1880)
- 1967 - Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1890)
- 1967 - Mischa Elman, Ukrainian-born violinist (b. 1891)
- 1969 - Rómulo Gallegos, President of Venezuela (b. 1884)
- 1970 - Alfred Henry Sturtevant, American geneticist (b. 1891)
- 1972 - Brian Donlevy, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1975 - Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese nationalist leader (b. 1887)
- 1976 - Howard Hughes, American aviation pioneer, film director, and eccentric (b. 1905)
- 1976 - Wilder Penfield, Canadian surgeon (b. 1891)
- 1982 - Abe Fortas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1910)
- 1983 - Danny Rapp, American musician (Danny & the Juniors) (b. 1941)
- 1991 - John Tower, U.S. Senator from Texas (b. 1925)
- 1991 - Sonny Carter, astronaut (b. 1947)
- 1992 - Molly Picon, French actress (b. 1898)
- 1992 - Sam Walton, American retailer (b. 1918)
- 1994 - Kurt Cobain, American musician (b. 1967)
- 1997 - Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)
- 1998 - Cozy Powell, British musician (b. 1947)

2000 onwards


- 2000 - Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914)
- 2001 - Brother Theodore, German-born comedian (b. 1906)
- 2002 - Layne Staley, American musician (Alice in Chains) (b. 1967)
- 2005 - Saul Bellow, Canadian-born writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- 2005 - Dale Messick, American comic strip artist (b. 1906)
- 2005 - Debralee Scott, American actress (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances


- Mauritius: Ougadi
- Qingming Festival in the Chinese calendar
- Arbor Day in South Korea

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/5 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.tnl.net/when/4/5 Today in History: April 5] ----- April 4 - April 6 - March 5 - May 5 – listing of all days ko:4월 5일 ms:5 April ja:4月5日 simple:April 5 th:5 เมษายน

1964

:For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar).

Events

January


- January 1 - Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
- January 3 - Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President.
- January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the 15th century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I meet in Jerusalem.
- January 7 - A British firm, the Leyland Motor Corp., announces the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the United States blockade of Cuba.
- January 8 - In his first State-of-the-Union address, President Lyndon Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in the United States.
- January 9 - Armed clashes between United States troops and Panamanian mobs in the Canal Zone precipitate a major international crisis and result in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers.
- January 11 - United States Surgeon General Luther Leonidas Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health. First such statement from the U.S. government.
- January 12 - The predominantly Arab government of Zanzibar is overthrown by African nationalist rebels. A U.S. destroyer evacuates 61 U.S. citizens.
- January 12 - Terry C. Soto, Founder of PPI Enterprises of Houston, Texas, is born.
- January 13 - I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles released in the United States. It will become their first North American hit and the beginning of Beatlemania.
- January 16 - Hello Dolly! opens in New York City's St. James Theatre.
- January 16 - John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, resigns from the space program and announces the next day that he will seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator from Ohio.
- January 18 - Esther Armstrong Scottish Landscape Artist born in Dingwall,Scotland. Plans to build the World Trade Center announced.
- January 20 - Meet the Beatles, the first Beatles album in the United States, is released.
- January 22 - Kenneth Kaunda inaugurated as the first President of Northern Rhodesia.
- January 23 - Thirteen years after its proposal and nearly two years after the measure had been passed by the United States Senate 77-16, the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
- January 23 - Arthur Miller's After the Fall opens on Broadway. A semi-autobiographical work, it will arouse controversy over his portrayal of late ex-wife Marilyn Monroe.
- January 27 - France and the People's Republic of China announce their decision to establish diplomatic relations.
- January 27 - Senator Margaret Chase Smith (R-Me.), 66, announces her candidacy for the Republican nomination for President.
- January 28 - A U.S. Air Force jet training plane that strays into East Germany is shot down by Soviet fighters near Erfurt. All three crew men are killed.
- January 29 - 1964 Winter Olympics open in Innsbruckand concludes on February 9. The Soviet Union launches two scientific satellites, Elektron I and II, from a single rocket.
- January 30 - The junta ruling South Vietnam since the overthrow of President Ngo Dinh Diem is itself toppled from power in a bloodless coup led by Maj. Gen. Nguyen Khanh.
- January 30 - Ranger 6 is launched by NASA. Its mission is to carry television cameras and to crash-land on the moon.

February


- February 3 - In protests against alleged de-facto school racial segregation, black and Puerto Rican groups in New York City boycott public school.
- February 6 - Cuba cuts off the normal water supply to the United States naval base at Guantanamo Bay in reprisal for U.S. seizure 4 days earlier of 4 Cuban fishing boats off the coast of Florida.
- February 7 - A jury trying Bryon De La Beckwith for the murder of Medgar Evers in June 1963 reports in Jackson, Mississippi that it was unable to agree on a verdict, resulting in a mistrial; The Beatles land in New York City.
- February 9 - The Beatles make their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The 1964 Winter Olympics concludes.
- February 11 - Greeks & Turks begin fighting in Limassol, Cyprus.
- February 11 - The Republic of China (Taiwan) drops diplomatic relations with France because of French recognition of the People's Republic of China.
- February 17 - In Wesberry v. Sanders 376 US 1 1964, the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
- February 26 - John Glenn slips on a bathroom rug in his Columbus, Ohio apartment and hits his head on the bathtub, injuring his left inner ear, and prompting him (later that week) to withdraw from the race for the Senate nomination.
- February 27 - The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
- February 29 - President Johnson announces that the United States had developed a jet airplane (the A-11), capable of sustained flight at more than 2,000 MPH and of altitudes of more than 70,000 feet.

March


- March 4 - Jimmy Hoffa, President of the Teamsters, is convicted by a Federal jury of tampering with a Federal jury in 1962.
- March 4 – Malta gains independence.
- March 6 - Constantine II becomes King of Greece.
- March 8 - Malcolm X, suspended from the Nation of Islam, says in New York City that he is forming a black nationalist party.
- March 9 - In New York Times Co. v Sullivan 376 US 254 1964, the Supreme Court of the United States rules that under the First Amendment, speech criticizing political figures cannot be censored.
- March 9 - The first Ford Mustang rolls off the assembly line at Ford Motor Company.
- March 10 - Soviet Union military forces shoot down an unarmed reconnaissance bomber that had strayed into East Germany; the three U.S. flyers parachute to safety.
- March 10 - The New Hampshire primary is won by Henry Cabot Lodge, Ambassador to South Vietnam.
- March 12 - Malcolm X withdraws from the Natio